(13000 Character Chapter)

Following the inexplicable disappearance of Du Mao, the revitalizing patriarch of the Tongye Sect, Old Dragon City, at least on the surface, fell into an eerie tranquility.

After Du Mao casually “struck down” Zheng Dafeng, who had descended from the Dragon Ascension Platform, and the stranger in snow-white robes, even in the absence of the Old Immortal Du, his lingering prestige, like the unseen cloud sea overhead, continued to resonate and permeate every corner of Old Dragon City, deterring the higher echelons of the five great clans from even daring to take a deep breath.

Firstly, witnessing the divine abilities of Old Ancestor Du instilled a sense of awe, causing otherwise monumental, unforeseen events to be forcefully crushed into insignificance. For example, the enshrined cultivators whom the Fu family secretly instructed, with the cooperation of the Ding, Fang, and Hou clans, to intercept and assassinate Zheng Dafeng and his party, were all wiped out. According to the account of a Longmen realm cultivator who served as a scout and miraculously survived, the four martial artist attendants of the white-robed youth were each astonishingly lethal and fearless, readily trading injuries for kills without hesitation. Two of them died in battle, a ravishing woman skilled in sword control, and an old madman who delighted in tearing flesh. Subsequently, beams of light, akin to a sword cultivator’s Natal Flying Sword, descended from the cloud sea, instantly obliterating the cultivators who could have encircled and killed the remaining two attendants. Most egregiously, the tall man wielding the unusual long saber pierced the heart of each of the enshrined cultivator corpses with it.

Upon learning of this grim news, the three major clans hastily convened in secret for discussions. Du Yan, having received the news, did not join the gathering, leading to speculations that the Fu family, in collusion with Du Yan, had devised a grand scheme, using Zheng Dafeng as a decoy to lure out and then eliminate their three clans’ trump card enshrined cultivators in the most “legitimate” and cost-effective manner.

Otherwise, why would Fu Qi, as both family head and city lord, the figurehead of Old Dragon City, disregard all semblance of propriety so soon after the Yunlin Jiang clan’s direct descendant’s marriage alliance? Despite the solemn agreement that only one could leave the Dragon Ascension Platform alive after a deathmatch, Fu Qi casually feigned an itch and conceded defeat to Zheng Dafeng, handing him over to Old Immortal Du to deal with. Was this not premeditated? It seemed they had underestimated the Fu family’s ambition; they were determined to not even share the scraps.

Some present immediately slammed their fists on the table and glared, proclaiming that if the Fu family were so ruthless and malicious, they should not blame them for going down in flames, to see if Old Dragon City could even survive in part by the end of it all.

Those who were enraged and threatened to go down together were mostly bluffing and posturing.

Those who remained silent and pondered were the true power brokers of Old Dragon City.

The true foundation of Old Dragon City never rested on fists or magical treasures, but on ledgers and accounting books.

Suddenly, a steward reported that the young city lord, Fu Nanhua, had arrived.

Fu Nanhua brought several attendants but entered the deliberation hall alone. After taking a seat, before he even had a chance to warm the seat or take a sip of tea, he smiled and spoke a few words before excusing himself.

The individuals present began weighing the pros and cons, calculating gains and losses, all seasoned experts in their own right.

Fu Nanhua had been concise and to the point, avoiding mention of the related Yunlin Jiang clan. The Tongye Sect had also allied with the Fu family. Of the six intercontinental ferries traveling to Inverted Mountain, four were controlled by parties other than the Fu family. The Fu family wanted them all. In the future, three-tenths of the annual profits of the three families present would have to be offered to the Fu family as “rent” for continuing to reside in Old Dragon City. Of course, the Fu family would then leverage the power of various factions to expand northward, encompassing secular dynasties, immortal caverns below the mountains, and Jianghu sects. All merchants outside Old Dragon City would be suppressed, squeezed out, and eliminated. During this period, how much real silver the three families of Ding, Fang, and Hou could earn—whether it would be an abundance of wealth, greater than before, or a crippling blow that led to operational failure and eventual expulsion from Old Dragon City—would depend on the premise of sincere cooperation among those present and their individual abilities. As for the specifics, if everyone felt that the general direction was sound, they could sit down and discuss the details next time.

An old man smiled faintly and said, “Fortune favors the bold; let’s take a gamble.”

Someone laughed and said, “The Dali Iron Cavalry is already closing in on the central region of our Treasure Bottle Continent, right? If we succeed in this northern expedition, I wonder if we might encounter those northern barbarians?”

An old crone chuckled self-deprecatingly, “The Fu family plans to unleash dogs to bite people. If they bite well, they might snatch a few pieces of meat for themselves. Compared to the petty squabbles of today, perhaps we can indeed earn more.”

The youngest young master, of ordinary appearance but with an extraordinary demeanor, commanded respect even amidst a circle of seasoned old foxes. He cradled the back of his head in his hands, gazing up at the crystal lamp overhead, and muttered, “Ultimately, it’s still overwhelming people with power.”

At Dust Apothecary, several physicians and divine doctors hired at great expense by the Fan family, mostly medical disciples among Qi Refiners or Daoist masters skilled in elixirs and health preservation, had been frequently coming and going from the shop recently.

The Fan family ancestral hall had erupted into a cacophony of disputes. Suggestions to the family head gradually transformed into accusations, and finally, into heartfelt lamentations. One by one, they claimed that they had let down the memorial tablets in the Fan family ancestral hall. They had been unfilial descendants and were only able to watch helplessly as the Fan clan walked down a path to its doom, daring to overestimate its strength and shield the now-crippled Zheng Dafeng at such a juncture. Fan Junmao, the father of Fan Er and the current family head of the Fan clan, merely drank tea in silence in the face of the various criticisms.

At the apothecary.

Zheng Dafeng had regained consciousness and could speak. In addition to the use of medicine to heal injuries and cultivate yuan to fortify the foundation by the high-level experts hired by the Fan family, the Zhao surname Yin spirit also brought some ancestral treasures from the Liju Grotto Heaven to help Zheng Dafeng mend the flaws in his soul, so as to prevent Zheng Dafeng from collapsing all at once, turning into a withering tree day by day.

Zheng Dafeng did not seek death or cause trouble. Although he did not speak much, his expression was somewhat relaxed. Occasionally, when Pei Qian came to sit in the room for a while, he would smile and chat with the thin girl. Every time Pei Qian came here, she would squat on the ground, move a chair to hold the books, and then copy the books. Zheng Dafeng was most willing to talk to Pei Qian, although every time he spoke, he would aggravate his injuries. However, Pei Qian didn’t appreciate it. When copying the books, she was extremely serious. If Zheng Dafeng spoke too much, she would complain, “You’re annoying, I’ve copied a word wrong, some strokes are not upright enough, my father will ask me to rewrite them.”

Zheng Dafeng would be happy, but this smile would make him break out in cold sweat from the pain. However, with Pei Qian squatting and copying books in the room, the man on the sickbed was generally in a good mood.

Chen Pingan would come and sit here from time to time. One lying down and one sitting, since they were both seriously injured, they did not talk much.

This evening, after leaving the medicine-filled side room, Chen Pingan walked into the courtyard. Zhu Lian was busy preparing a table of food in the kitchen, and Pei Qian was practicing her unique skill in the courtyard.

A table was set up in the courtyard, and Lu Baixiang was playing chess with Sui Youbian. Wei Xian stood aside, still unable to understand Go, but would patiently wait for the outcome.

Previously, when Zhu Lian and Sui Youbian died outside Old Dragon City, Chen Pingan spent two more gold essence copper coins to pour into their Natal Scrolls.

After the two were killed in action, according to the “heavenly rule” established by the old Daoist of the East Sea, the future peak achievement of the martial maniac Zhu Lian bottlenecked at the tenth realm of martial arts.

Sui Youbian was even more miserable. After dying twice in the dilapidated temple battle, and then trading his life for the life of a Golden Core realm cultivator, his future achievement could only stagnate at the peak of the ninth realm. Whether it was Chen Pingan or the four in the scroll, no matter what their feelings were towards the old view master of Guandao View, the five people did not doubt that “the old senior’s Taoism is profound”.

Today, the Zhao surname Yin spirit, who would appear with billowing black smoke and surging baleful aura every time, did not appear.

No one expected that this Nascent Soul realm Yin spirit, which should have been a trump card to change the game, had been like a jade purity realm cultivator since sitting in the apothecary. From beginning to end, there was nothing for it to do. Chen Pingan was seriously injured, Zheng Dafeng became a cripple, two attendants of Zhu and Sui died in battle, Lu Baixiang and Wei Xian were not idle either, all went to the gate of hell and came back to the human world, only this Yin spirit seemed to have chatted with Pei Qian at the door of the shop for a few days. When time stood still, the apothecary’s formation was not yet activated, it was also confined in it, and after the flow of time continued, the overall situation was set.

Chen Pingan sat on the threshold of the front apothecary.

In the courtyard, Pei Qian supported the mountain walking staff with both hands, gasping for breath, and said, “Old Wei, how is my swordsmanship training?”

Wei Xian did not turn his head, continuing to stare at the black and white chess pieces on the chessboard, somewhat like interlocking teeth on the battlefield. He could only see such meaning, without any politeness.

An overwhelming torrent of abuse, along with a dazzling array of immortal treasures, crashed down on this person.

This sword cultivator no longer restrained his own sword energy, which had been brewing for a century and was not allowed to manifest in the world. In an instant, it erupted outwards, like a silvery waterfall cascading into the mortal realm.

Not a single magical treasure could approach within a hundred zhang.

The sword cultivator, with a serene expression, spoke to the ancestral mountain, with the tone of seeking knowledge from someone, and said seriously: “My husband has spoken, he wants me to *expletive* your mother, it’s a bit difficult for me to read, this is not difficult. So the question is, Du Mao, is your mother still alive, and what does she look like?”

Heaven and earth were silent.

Especially silent.